Developing-tray.



C. R. GREY.

DEVELOPING TRAY.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 28. 19W.

Patented Sept. 4,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

attozmmq 5 C. R. GREY.

DEVELOPING TRAY.

APPLICATION: FILED FEB. 28.1911.

Patented-Sept. 4, 1917,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CHARLES R. GREY, 0F rnnmvroronrs, WYOMING.

DEVELOPING-TRAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 191 '7.

Application filed February 28, 1917. Serial No. 151,399.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. GREY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Thermopolis, in the county of Fremont and State of Wyoming, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Developing-Trays, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates primarily to trays employed by photographers for the purpose of developing, washing, and toningplates, films, and prints, although, as will be obvious, its utility is by no means limited to these particular operations, inasmuch as the device hereinafter described might, either with or without such modification as would come within the range of mechanical skill, be conveniently employed for other processes in the art of photography, or even in other arts in which small articles are to be treated with chemical solutions, or other liquids. For. convenience, however, the device in question is herein referred to as a developing tra The invention has for its general object to provide a device of the character mentioned so organized as greatly to increase the faeility' with which the necessary operations may be carried on. To this end the invention contemplates the provision of a single device in which the developing or other solutions may be readily mixed, which permits a liquid or any one of a number of liquids to be introduced into the tray or removed therefrom easily, quickly, and without danger of spilling, which includes provision for filterin the solutions if desired, and'which may e readily rocked or otherwise manipulated in accordance with the requirements, said device being of a simple, unitary, and compact form, capable of being conveniently transported or stored, and having no complicated parts or parts which are likely to deteriorate with age or use or to be broken or lost.

The'foregoing and other objects of the invention, together with means whereby the same may be carried into effect, will best be understood fromthe following description ofv one form or embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood, however, that the particular construction described and shown has been chosen for illustrative purposes merely, and that the invention, as defined by the claims hereunto appended, may be otherwise practised without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete device.

Fig. 2 is a section substantially on the line 22, Fig. 1, showing a slightly different construction.

3 is a section on the line 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of one of the reservoirs shown at the left in Figs. 1 and 2.

The tray herein shown is preferably composed of glass or other transparent material, and the body 10 thereof, except as hereinafter pointed out, may be of the usual or any desired form and size. Preferably the walls of said tray body are substantially vertical, as shown in Fig. 2, or slightly inwardly inclined, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to prevent slopping, said body being of slightly greater width than usual from front to rear in order to facilitate the removal of plates therefrom. If desired, and as shown in Fig. 1, the rear wall may be provided with a pouring spout 11, this spout being however, omitted in Fig. 2.

Associated with one or both of the end walls of the body 10, as parts of said body, is

a suitable number (one or more) of reservoirs 12, 13, 1 1, communicating with the in: terior of said body through passages 15 pro vided in said walls. Said reservoirs are preferably formed integral with the body of the tray, although if desired, for convenience in manufacture, they may be formed separately, and thereafter rigidly attached. As herein shown .one reservoir 14 is provided at the right end of the tray and two reservoirs 12 and 13 at the left end, although any suit able or desired number may be employed at either or both ends. The reservoir 14 at the right is formed with a permanently closed top and is substantially equal in height to the corresponding end wall of the body 10 so as not to interfere with the free movements of the right hand and arm of the operator in reaching into the interior of said body. The reservoirs 12 and 13 are preferably of a greater height (being formed substantially in the shape of bottles) and are provided in their tops with filling openings 16 surrounded by integral funnel portions 17 and normally closed by suitable stoppers 18. Said reservoirs 12 and 13 are provided with series of graduations 19 preferably ar" ranged in ascending order from top to bottom, that is to say, the figures by which said graduations are marked are arranged in progressive series with the smaller at the top and the greater at the bottom, as will be clear from Fig. 4.

The bottoms of the reservoirs 12 and 13 are arranged at a slightly greater elevation than the bottom of the body 10 of the tray, thereby providing a shoulder 19" at the edge of said body and between the same and the reservoirs. At the opposite end of the tray, and adjacent the outer upper edge of the reservoir 14, is preferably provided a ledge or handle 20. By placing the fingers beneath the ledge or handle 20 the tray can be conveniently rocked about the shoulder 19 as a fulcrum, the reservoirs 12 and 13 acting, to a certain degree, as a counter-poise for the body, and thereby facilitating the operation.

Associated with the front wall of the body 10, and communicating with the interior thereof through a passage 21 in said wall, is an outlet spout 22 having a contracted lower end 23, whereby the contents of the tray may be conveniently withdrawn into a bottle or other container.

At the mouth of each of the passages 15 and 21, where said passages communicate with the interior of-the body of the tra.y, is provided a lug or abutment 24 which, together with the adjacent inner face of the corresponding wall, forms a seat for a sheet of filter paper or other filtering fabric, shown at 25 in Fig. 2, whereby liquid withdrawn from the interior of said body through said passages may be filtered during such withdrawal.

Just outside the inner faces of the end walls of the body 10, and between said body and the corresponding reservoirs, said end walls are preferably reduced in height, as by providing grooves or channels 26. At these points said walls are provided with cavities 27 extending to the top thereof (that is to say, to the bottoms of the grooves or channels 26) and communicating with the passages 15. Seated in said cavities, and bearing against the abutments 24, are preferably cylindrical. plugs or stoppers 28 for closing the passages 15 and thereby controlling communication through said passages between the interior of the body 10 and the corresponding reservoirs. In order to facilitate the insertion and removal of the plugs 28 said plugs are provided with handle members 31 having spiral shanks 30, similar to cork screws, embedded in said plugs, said handle members having depressions 32 in their opposite faces to afford finger holds. The outlet spout 22 is controlled by a plug or stopper 33, similar in all respects to the plugs or stoppers 28, and provided with a handle member 34 similar to the handle members 31.

It will, of course, be understood that liquid in the body 10 may be caused to flow therefrom into any of the reservoirs by raising the proper plug 28 and suitably tilting the tray. In order to prevent the liquid from overflowing the sides of the tray when the latter is thus tilted, said ends may, if desired, be increased in height adjacent the reservoirs, as indicated at 35 at the left end in Fig. 2.

Numerous ways in which the combined deviceabove described may be conveniently and advantageously employed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. For example, in. using a two-solution developer the tWOzSOllltlOXlS may be placed in the reservoirs 12 and 13,. respectively, said reservoirs being preferably filled withv solution to the zero'points on their respective graduatedscales. To mix the solutions in proper proportion, the corresponding plugs 28 are successively raised, allowing suitable quantities to flow from the reservoirs 1'2. and 13 through the passages 15 into the trays 10. By virtue of the arrangement of the gradtb ations 19in ascending order from topito bottom, it will be seen that the amount of each solution admitted into the body of the tray mav be readily measured as it flows from the reservoir. After the developing; operation the mixed solution may, if desired, be withdrawn from the tray into the reservoir 14 and stored therein for'further use, or it may be drawn off through the outlet spout 22 into a suitable bottle.

The funnel portions 17 of the reservoirs 12 and 13 are of assistance in filling said reservoirs with solution or rinsing water, thus obviating the necessity of a. separate funnel. These funnel portions also enable the device to be conveniently employed for the purpose; of washing a plate in the body or tray, this operation being performed by lifting the stoppers 18, 28 and 33 and allowing a. stream of water to run. into the funnelportion or portions 17 and thence through the corresponding reservoir and passage 15 into the body of the tray, from which it may flow through the outlet spout 22. What is perhaps a more important use of these funnel members or portions 17 is in forming and mixing solutions of dry chemicals. The contents of a package of powder or other dry chemical may be poured into the funnel and washed into the reservoir by the water used to make the solution, the proper amount of the latter being indicated by the scale 19, and the solution thereafter allowed to pass into the tray by raising the proper plugs 28. If preferred, the proper amount of water may be first introduced into and measured in one of the reservoirs, and then allowed to run into the tray by raising the stopper 28, the dry chemical thereafter being placed in the tray, and

the solution finally run back into the reservoir, being filtered in its passage by the fabric 25.

If desired, one of the reservoirs may be used for a developer, one for a fixing bath, .and another for rinsing water; or one may be used for fresh developer, one for used developer, and one for rinsing water; or one of the reservoirs may be used for a developing, fixing, toning or other solution of ordinary strength, and another for a stronger solution, small quantities of which may be admitted to the body of the tray from time to time as required.

Any solution, after being used in the body of the tray, may be run off into any desired reservoir, being filtered in its passage thereinto if necessary to remove any impurities which may have found their way into such solution.

In any event it will be seen that the invention provides a unitary and compact device which takes the place of several of the trays, bottles, funnels, filters and graduates usually employed in the operations referred to, and which permits these operations to be carried on in a much simpler and easier manner than with the old apparatus, and with much less danger of spilling or other accident.

Having thus described my invention I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A device of the character described comprising a unitary structure consisting of a tray having rigidly associated therewith as a substantially permanent part thereof a graduated reservoir communicating with the body of said tray, and means for controlling communication between said body and reservoir.

2. A device of the character described comprising a unitary structure consisting of a tray having rigidly associated therewith as substantially permanent parts thereof a plurality of reservoirs each communicating with the body of the tray, and means for independently controlling communication between said body and each of said reservoirs, respectively.

8. A device of the character described comprising a unitary structure consisting of a tray having rigidly associated therewith as substantially permanent parts thereof a plurality of graduated reservoirs each communicating with the body of the tray, and means for independently controlling communication between said body and each of said reservoirs, respectively.

4. A device of the character described comprising a unitary structure consisting of a tray having rigidly associated therewith as a substantially permanent part thereof a Copies of this patent may be obtained for communicating with the body of the tray,

said wall having a cavity extending to the top thereof and communicating with said passage, and a removable plug seated in said cavity and controlling said passage.

6. A tray of the character described having in one of its walls a passage for liquids communicating with the body of said tray, said wall having a cavity extending to the top thereof and communicating with said passage, a plug seated in said cavity and controlling said passage, and a handle member having a spiral shank embedded in said plug, said handle member having depressions in its opposite faces to afford a finger hold.

7 A tray of the character described having associated therewith at opposite ends, respectively, a plurality of reservoirs communicating with the body of said tray, the reservoir or reservoirs at one end of said tray being substantially equal in height to the walls of said tray, and the reservoir or reservoirs at the opposite ends of said tray being of a greater height and being provided with graduations.

8. A tray of the character described having associated therewith at opposite ends, respectively, a plurality of reservoirs communicating with the body of said tray, means for independently controlling communication between said body and each of said reservoirs, respectively, the reservoir or reservoirs at one end of said tray being substantially equal in height to the walls of said tray, and the reservoir or reservoirs at the opposite end of said tray being of a greater height and being provided with graduations, said last named reservoir or reservoirs being provided with a filling opening or openings.

9. A tray of the character described having associated therewith at opposite ends, respectively, a plurality of reservoirs communicating with the body of said tray, the top of the reservoir or reservoirs at one end of said tray being substantially flush with the top of the walls of said tray, and the reservoir or reservoirs at the opposite end of said tray being arranged at a greater elevation than said body to afford a rocking shoulder at the edge of said body, said lastnamed reservoir or reservoirs constituting a counterpoise for said body.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature.

CHAS. R. GREY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. 0. 

